The Light of Asteria

The Light of
Asteria

Kailmeyra’s Last Hope

Elizabeth Isaacs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Light of Asteria

Elizabeth Isaacs

Published by EF Isaacs at Smashwords

This ebook is licensed for your personal
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Copyright 2010 Elizabeth Isaacs

Cover design by Neil and Shauna Noah,

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To my daughter, Kate,

whose purity of spirit was

the inspiration for Nora.

To my son, Alan,

whose fearless courage

gave me the strength to share

Kailmeyra with the world.

You are the true spirit of love

and the joy that fills my life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres.

… 
And now these three remain: faith,
hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1
^st
Corinthians chapter 13

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Prologue

Malachi stood at the base of the mountain
staring into the chasm of hell. Black clouds billowed over the
blood that boiled in the land of the centaurs’ grave. Thunder
rolled as the lightning streaked across the sky in fury. The sun
became black as sackcloth. The void grew, and the blood turned to
tar that smelled of rotting flesh. Onyx silhouettes, writhing from
its depths, crawled to the rim; the ground below their feet
withered and died. The slick, obsidian army absorbed any colors of
life that surrounded them, and the growing chasm boiled with glee.
Malachi turned his eyes toward the heavens and cried out to the
Creator of all for mercy.

The first seven from the abyss were leaders
and each wielded a sword. The queen of the demons held jeweled eyes
of iced blue, but the others had eyes that were as black as the
sun. She turned to the east and commanded her cadre to call on
their warriors, for they must slay the remaining keepers. She had
already killed the prince, and the queen of this realm had died of
despair.

The demons sniffed the air, searching for
their prey. The sword of the beast fell on the land, and the
animals of the kingdom cried out in pain. He and his warriors made
their way westward, searching for the one who kept the beasts
whole. The sword of the sky pierced the heavens, and a foul wind
disfigured all the winged creatures. The warriors followed the
hunters of the beast keeper, for sky keeper was his mate. The sword
of the fields pierced the earth, and all of the plant life turned
to dust. The demons hunted the field keeper to the north. The sword
of the waters pierced the fissure, and the rivers and streams
turned to pitch. The demons made their way north as well, for they
knew that the keeper of the water would be close. The sword of the
mountains pierced its base, and the lands shook until the heart of
Kailmeyra shattered.

The ice-eyed demon laughed in sadistic
pleasure. “Where is the light that unlocks the power of love? Where
is your faith?”

Malachi knelt at the base of the mountain,
giving the last of his energy stores to the land. The queen of the
demons rejoiced as the sixth sword pierced his heart.

A blue sheet of energy in the core of the
mountain surrounded Malachi in comfort. The last of the ancients
stood, trying to renew strength from this vision that had plagued
him for five centuries. The Alfar had control over their thoughts,
for their life source depended on positive emotions. However,
visions were wild and uncontrolled, and he was the only one in the
land to possess this gift. He gleaned just enough energy to keep
himself alive. If he were selfish and took too much, the land would
suffer. He walked out of the blue field and sat close to its edge.
Taking a deep breath, he consoled himself that visions weren’t
absolute. Prophecies only came true if everyone involved kept their
path and did not falter in intent. Still, this was the only vision
that never wavered. He quieted his mind once more and turned his
thoughts towards positive currents.

I need to speak with you.

He ignored the request, concentrating on the
power of the blue energy that hummed through the cavern.

I command you to answer. There is an urgent
matter that must be tended.

Malachi sighed and kept his thoughts on a
tight leash.

Yes, my queen?

I must know.
Will they make it
back?

I will not manipulate the future.

Will you defy me, last of the
ancients?
He could sense her despair. She had come to him with
this request every day for the past month.

My queen, do not anguish. You must have
faith; they will return, and the land will flourish once more.
He allowed his intent of compassion and faith to run with his
thoughts, but she would not keep her heart open and did not hear
them.

Can you assure they will not perish?

His frustration grew.
Lera, you know
better than that.

He is Kailmeyra’s last hope, s
he
pleaded.

I know, my queen, I know.
The queen
had no idea how prophetic her statement was. If they did not make
it back, the land would give way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter
1—Beginnings

“I need a picture of the three musketeers.
Noh, Hol, Kate, come on over here and sit,” Holly’s mom
ordered.

I sighed, trying to ignore the ache in my
chest, and we piled onto Kate’s bed. Smiling a little too wide, I
sat between my only friends since fifth grade. Several flashes fed
the already throbbing headache.

The frat boys, who had volunteered earlier in
the day, made short work of bringing in boxes. They left an
invitation to some meet-and-greet for Saturday night, which Holly’s
dad surreptitiously pocketed. I didn’t rat him out. Besides, he was
fighting a losing battle. Holly was too beautiful for anyone not to
notice. The only comfort was that she never went anywhere without
Kate, who was pretty in her own right but also held a healthy dose
of common sense. They looked out for each other, and I knew they’d
be all right. The sun was heading west, and if I didn’t leave soon
I’d freeze on the way home.

“Call me, you.” I hugged them both one last
time.

Kate’s mom put her arm around my shoulder and
murmured in my ear. “Nora, honey, don’t make yourself a
stranger.”

“I promise, I won’t.” My voice broke as the
ache intensified.

“Take care, you,” Holly hollered down the
hall. I just held my hand up and waved, not looking back. The tears
welled, but mercifully, some last vestige of survivor’s pride
kicked in.

I took one last look around the beautiful
campus and realized that this wasn’t the life I was destined to
have. Trying to ignore the college students welcoming each other
back, I quickened my step. All of these people were like Kate and
Hol … I didn’t belong here … I really didn’t belong anywhere … I
didn’t have a place of my own.

The Cataloochie Mountain was the official
name of the place I called home, but it would always be Edna’s
mountain to me. It was my sanctuary, my healing land, and I was
thankful—even though my heart cried I didn’t belong there either.
Sighing, I looked at the Appalachian range that stood against the
afternoon sky. Fear that my father’s abandonment had somehow
altered my destiny often brought sleepless nights. I broached the
subject almost every fall; Edna’s answer was always the same.
Patience, little one; to everything there is a season.

The ache that I had successfully repressed
grew until it filled my entire chest. My feet picked up the pace
again, and I focused on the ground. Today was not about me; it was
about giving Kate and Hol a great send off. Leave them smiling. I
would indulge in tears on the sad ride back to nowhere.

Suddenly, it felt like I hit a brick wall.
Warm hands gripped my waist, keeping me from falling, and I
realized I had run into a wall of a man. Trying to see through the
tears, I shook my head as a gust of wind whipped the hair across my
face. His broad shoulders didn’t seem as if they would fit through
a doorframe. Our eyes locked. I had never seen more strange or
beautiful eyes. They were like faceted emeralds, brilliant and
pure. The ache spilled over to tears. He was like everything else
here—too good for me. His incredibly green eyes flashed as his grip
tightened. Unknown emotions swirled and screamed with a power that
grew. The crown of my head became warm, cascading down my skull,
heating the length of my spine.

“Wha…?” my question fell away as the inferno
running down my back lashed out, coiling through me. A sheet of
fire wrapped around my heart. I tried to make sense of it—for the
first time, I truly felt … alive.

His gaze became vulnerable, confused. He
whispered in a strange language, his voice questioning. A low hum
vibrated the ground beneath my feet. The energy encasing my chest
grew, and the campus washed round me in pure, radiant light. Hot,
dry winds whipped and eddied, circling us like a tornado in the
sun. My hands involuntarily found their way to his chest. His heart
raced, his breath became ragged. As my heart found his tempo, the
energy flaming through me exploded, flooding the campus in
light.

The world came back in sharp relief. The
crowd swarming the grounds milled about as if nothing had
happened.

“I’m so sorry,” I muttered, taking a step
back.

He hesitated, but his hands fell away. I
walked blindly, getting lost in a sea of students. A still, small
voice wisped through my heart—
I should stay
. Glancing back,
I couldn’t see him. The students parted for a moment. He was still
rooted in the same spot, just under an old dogwood tree. His eyes
narrowed in concentration. As he started toward me, an older man
suddenly stood in his way. He pushed past him, but I turned and
ran, not stopping until I found the sanctuary of the Jeep.

My hands shook as I tried to buckle the
seatbelt. Honestly, I never felt so much before at once. It was as
if tender new emotions were being assaulted by the very nature of
humanity. Conflict swirled with the unknown and warred with
confusion and fear.

What just happened? Memories raced as I sped
toward the highway, desperately searching for an explanation.
Nothing came.

The late afternoon breeze cooling the August
sky seemed different. The smell was the same woodsy scent that was
uniquely the mountains, but the air
felt
different—like
fresh ozone after a spring rain. I shivered, suddenly regretting
the impulse to leave the top off the Jeep.

Surely if something had happened, someone
else would have noticed. What if it was all a figment of my
imagination? Was he even real?

Dense trees surrounded the entrance to the
gravel drive, and I pulled off the road for a moment, not yet ready
to face Edna. Resting my head on the seat, I admired the day’s last
light filtering through the canopy.

Something within me had changed. In an
instant, my life felt different. It was as if my senses had spent
their entire existence encased in slumber and they now were set
free. My eyes wandered to the lush green life that grew dark in the
muted light. The still small voice that beckoned me to stay now
became insistent—it was crucial that I keep quiet. No one must
know. Green eyes and warm hands embraced my memory one last time
before I locked them away. Taking a moment to clear my mind, I
found my focus, and the crunch of gravel beneath the tires echoed
in the silence.

The farmhouse was a two-story structure that
had weathered the storm of time. Edna’s small frame stood on the
old porch. I pulled to the side where gravel gave way to grass. I
loved this place like no other; Edna made this home.

“Did the girlies get settled in?” she chimed.
Her clear Appalachian voice sang with the mountain’s flavor so rich
and deep, it was like a bluegrass lullaby.

“Yep. I’m gonna give Kate and Hol a call and
let them know I made it home.” I zipped past her, avoiding her
gaze.